Product Details

• Actors: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, Jessica Marais, Christian Cooke
• Directors: Ed Bianchi, Simon Cellan Jones
• Format: Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: October 2, 2012
• Run Time: 419 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B007PTCRIW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,206 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Magic City: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Miami Beach, 1959. As Ike Evans rings in the New Year at his luxurious Miramar Playa Hotel, Havana falls to Castro’s rebels. It’s a turbulent time in Miami, but it’s THE place to be. The Kennedys, the mob and the CIA all hold court here. And Ike, he’s the star of his hotel. But everything comes at a price. To finance his dream, he sold his soul to mob boss Ben “The Butcher” Diamond. Ike’s wife Vera, a former showgirl, and his three kids think he’s an honorable man, but he can’t break his pact with the devil. His life is a façade. In fact, nothing at the Miramar Playa is what it seems. By day, it’s diving clowns and cha-cha lessons. By night, escorts have secret liaisons with husbands in the family cabanas, while Miami’s seedier residents and the law drift together to hear legendary singers, musicians and comics. As Ike’s world threatens to implode, he fights for his family, and the Miramar Playa, in Magic City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars MIAMI AND THE MOB November 13, 2012

By Mark Turner

Format:Blu-ray

Once more cable TV sets out to make a series that hopes to deliver high class drama with low class subject matter. It's something they've come to do well for the most part but not always as effectively as they'd like. This time around the series revolves around the Miami hotel circuit near the end of the fifties and into the sixties, displaying the desire of Hollywood execs to try and capitalize off the success of other shows once more. Once MAD MEN took off and became a hit, suddenly everyone wanted to revisit the early 60s. The network series about Hugh Hefner and the Playboy Empire floundered shortly after it aired and PAN AM didn't even make it through the first season. So how does MAGIC CITY stand?

The story revolves around Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a man who struggled from the bottom to get to the top. The owner and main driving force behind the Miramar Hotel on the famous beach does whatever he can to make his business succeed. Unfortunately that includes becoming involved with the mob in the form of boss Ben Diamond (Danny Huston).

The time is ripe for mob influence as well with Castro coming into power in Cuba and their hotels/casinos there being lost. They not only want to be involved in the hotels in Miami, they want to take ownership of them from behind the scenes. It's the only way they can with the FBI looking over their shoulder.

Ike sees the potential that the hotels in Miami have. He sees it as more than a simple place to rest yourself on the road to somewhere. This is a resort town in the making with the potential of casinos and high class entertainment much like Vegas which was developing at the same time.... But he has problems that he thinks only these mob connections can solve, the first of which is a potential union strike by the hotel employees. With Frank Sinatra set to open on his stage, he can't afford to have them picketing out front. The mob solution of course ends in someone being killed and the body dumped. This plays into several episodes down the line and links Ike into the dealings behind the scenes as well as in front.

The story also involves Ike's sons, one of whom unknowingly begins a rather heated affair with Ben's wife and the other going to college to become involved with law enforcement. Either one has the potential of collapsing the dreams of Ike.

The show does capture the feel and the look of the times. It offers a glittery surface that most people who went their saw without the darker roots at its core. It's those darker roots that develop most of the drama in the show and that keep it interesting.

The acting is well played by all involved. Morgan has become a driving force in the roles he plays. I first saw him in the series SUPERNATURAL and wondered why he wasn't used more. Since then he's had several starring roles and with his turn here as Ike shows that he deserves more. Huston plays the slimy mob boss to perfection. Ruled more by temperamental fits than by sly cunning, Huston's Ben is to be feared first and foremost. He can be outmaneuvered but only if you don't forget that behind that temper is a cunning sense of evil that just might discover more than you want.

While the show is well made and thought out it didn't feel to me that it would be one that would last several seasons and yet season two is already in the works. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. The one thing that did bother me while watching was the reliance on nudity that all cable shows seem to feel the need to resort to. It's as if they feel the only way to let people know that the show is a cable show is to display nude women every so many minutes per episode. While the women on view are lovely isn't there a better use for them in a series than window dressing? I'm sure those who made the series would argue that women at that time in this arena were used for nothing more. For myself I've just grown tired of the same thing being dumped into cable series as nothing more than a way of saying "See? We're a cable series. We have breasts and networks don't. Watch us instead." It doesn't encourage me to watch. The story should be what matters and the focus of the show as well. The so called "window dressing" doesn't get me interested.

That being said there is potential in this show. If they can focus on the important aspects of it and move past the rest then it might be something worth watching. If it continues down this path then it is nothing more that a celebration of T&A with some story thrown in for good measure. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sumptuous Starz Series Looks Terrific, Has Enormous Potential, But Still Needs To Find Its Own Unique Voice March 28, 2013

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Blu-ray

On the surface, the Starz original drama "Magic City" would seem to have everything. It's not hard to imagine the pitch when creating this adult oriented mob drama: Let's combine the period detail that works so well in "Mad Men" with the gritty gangster vibe that made "The Sopranos" such a success. I'd like to say that I made up these comparisons, but both were used in the aggressive advertising campaign that Starz used to launch the show (so clearly it's a side-by-side that they are comfortable with). But that's part of the problem. Instead of crafting a unique product to wow the audience, "Magic City" is covering some pretty familiar territory with its central themes. The primary plot points are so similar to dozens of other mob related stories that it's almost impossible not to make comparisons. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of great elements within "Magic City" and I think it has the potential (should it return) to develop into something quite grand. As of Season One, though, it is a show that is still finding its way dramatically.

The story of "Magic City" takes place in Miami Beach circa 1959. Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a visionary hotelier, has just opened the exclusive Miramar Hotel. It's a tumultuous time. Evans is combating an underworld business partner (a great Danny Huston), fending off inquiries from the District Attorney's office, dealing with a crisis in Cuba, opposing unionization, and dealing with a family that all share responsibilities within the resort. It's a great environment for drama. Add that the hotel features talent such as Sinatra (not shown) and hosts gala events for Jackie Kennedy (not shown), and it's an incredible world mixing fact with fiction.... There are dozens of characters battling for screen presence, though, within these eight episodes of Season One and the balance can sometimes be out of proportion.

The Good:
Technical Production: Without a doubt, the real star of "Magic City" are its production values. The sets, costume design, cinematography, and musical score rival anything on TV today. The show is absolutely gorgeous!
Danny Huston: Over-the-top and chewing every bit of scenery, when Huston hits the screen--the pulse of the show raises a few notches. As the primary villain, the program is well served by the gleefully unpleasant Huston.

Has Potential:
Cast: I really like the primary cast led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Steven Strait as his eldest son carries one of the more interesting story threads with Jessica Marais (as Huston's wife). I also liked Elena Satine as a working girl who gets in over her head as well as supporting turns by Kelly Lynch, Alex Rocco, Matt Ross and Michael Rispoli.
Family Life: The show still hasn't fit Evans' new wife in as effectively as I'd like and moments of domesticity can be either great or momentum draining, still finding a balance.

The Not-so-Good:
Cuban Storyline: Evans' business assistant/employee Yul Vasquez has a wife he's trying to get out of the country, but as he'd never been developed--I found this storyline rather flat.
Young Love: Evans' youngest son (Christian Cooke) is involved with Vasquez's daughter. The story grinds to a halt when the two are together. The young lady in question is the one member of the cast that truly stands out in a negative light with painful and inflectionless line readings. Seriously, she recalls the wooden Sofia Coppola from Godfather III.

I liked "Magic City," I just haven't felt a passion for it yet. I would definitely tune in for a second season if that's an option. It has all the potential in the world, it just needs to refine its storytelling and its characterizations. Technically, it's already one of the best shows on TV--now the writing and plotting need to step up for it to become a powerhouse of adult entertainment. Has potential, but not fully cooked yet. KGHarris, 5/12. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! October 31, 2012

By Mezaone

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

A must see! If you like the gangster genre, this show is for you! Great acting, great storyline, great looking women! Can't beat that!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Show October 26, 2012

By Bcutty

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you like mob shows and want to see what Miami Beach was like in the late 1950's and early 60's this is a great show. Sex scenes in almost all the episodes so if that is not your thing you may want to pass.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sun and Style with Some Substance October 25, 2012

By Jobro49

Format:Blu-ray

Magic City is a stunning example of a high-gloss period drama. Set around Miami Beach and the fictitious Miramar Hotel in 1959, the show depicts the Evans family and the main protagonist, Issac "Ike" Evans, as he navigates family responsibilities, running a major hotel, and fending off the mob. While the story takes a few episodes to develop its main arc, the style is always on overdrive, at times almost too much so. Double waxed Cadillacs with fins, tailored suits, and a wonderfully designed hotel set make the show sparkle out of your TV screen. Olga Kurylenko plays Ike's wife, Vera, with beautiful results. It's almost impossible to take your eyes off her when she's in a scene. The main plots point of season 1 revolve around Ike trying to hide a murder and the Mob's involvement in his business. Ike's two sons create contrast. One is a womanizing bar-tender, the other a more modest law-student. Danny Huston plays the cliche mob villain, Ben Diamond, a little over the top, but definitely provides fear into anyone dealing with him. While there isn't as much depth in story or character development as say, Mad Men, there is plenty of likability in the characters and as the season runs on you find yourself rooting more for the Evans family. To give fair warning, the show is much more graphic than its AMC counterpart. Excessive nudity, sex, and violence are peppered throughout each episode, sometimes adding to the emotion of the show and creating shock value, while at other times the nudity is indulgent at best. For period drama lovers, it's a must see! I'd recommend this show to fans of Mad Men, Sopranos, and Boardwalk Empire.